Moore adds fatherhood to commitment list

David Polkinghorne

Stephen Moore is expecting fatherhood to change his life, but the ACT Brumbies hooker isn't expecting it to change his approach to the game and he's set a goal of winning Super Rugby's Australian conference.

After a mad dash to Calvary Hospital at 1am, Moore's wife, Courtney, gave birth to Theodore Thomas at 10.29am on Monday and at 4.6 kilograms he could be another frontrower in the making.

But the proud father said he wouldn't push Theodore into following in his footsteps.

''[With] his size people have joked about that, but I'll be happy with whatever he decides to do,'' he said on Tuesday.

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With mother and son doing well and expected home on Saturday, Moore was excited about the year ahead. After the disappointment of falling agonisingly short of the Super Rugby play-offs last year, he has focused on winning the Aussie conference and ending an eight-year finals drought.

''To try and win that Australian conference is a big goal and a realistic goal for us, and it's something we've got to aim for,'' he said. ''That will give us a finals appearance as a reward.

''That's something we came very close to last year and missed out at the end. We just weren't good enough at the end to get over the line and I think that's motivated a lot of the guys this year.''

Moore admitted it would be tougher for the Brumbies in the second year of coach Jake White's tenure.

He said they probably caught a few teams by surprise last year, but wouldn't get the same luxury in 2013.

''Last year we probably flew under the radar a little bit, we may have taken a few teams by surprise, but that won't be the case this year.

''After a good season last year teams will be really focused every time we play, but that's a good thing for us, that's the position you want to be in - if you want to be a top side you've got to go through that.''

He said the recruitment of Wallabies flanker David Pocock was the key to the play-off puzzle.

Moore admitted losing the up-and-coming Michael Hooper to the NSW Waratahs was a blow, but bringing in a ''world class footballer'' such as Pocock would more than make up for the loss.

He said some big-name signings hadn't worked out for the Brumbies in the past, but was confident Pocock was a different beast.

''He's a quality person, not just a world-class footballer, and he's going to be a great guy to have around the club,'' Moore said.

''I guess we've been down the path of signing big-name players and having that huge expectation and we probably came up short then.''

Moore and Pocock will be adding the Brumbies to their Wallabies membership.

Last year, Moore became Australia's most-capped hooker when he passed former Brumbies rake Jeremy Paul's previous mark of 72 games. But he is unconcerned at setting a mark of his own, his priority being to help both the Brumbies and Wallabies beat the British and Irish Lions when they tour in June.

While the Brumbies play the Lions at Canberra Stadium just four days before the first Test, Moore wants to be involved with both.

He was relishing the opportunity to play in front of the packed crowds the Lions attract. ''I remember last time they came to Australia, probably the Brumbies game was one of the best games of the tour, so it's going to be great to have that kind of travelling band, that the Lions are, in Canberra,'' he said.

''It will be fantastic for the city and great for the Brumbies to get that opportunity, so we really want to make the most of it.''